If you’re the type of diner who thinks the cup is always half full, then Restaurant Kody in Evergreen is a charming, classy spot that serves appealing, well-executed food.

If you’re the type of diner who thinks the cup is always half empty, then Restaurant Kody in Evergreen is a pricey, somewhat cramped eatery that doesn’t quite have it all together.

Either way, the 40-seat Kody, named for the owner’s golden retriever, is a welcome addition to Evergreen’s sparse culinary scene. The area is not exactly overflowing with upscale restaurants. And that puts Kody in a good position to dazzle the locals.

There are many elements already in place to do just that. Owners Adam Mali and his wife, Mary Song-Mali, have rented a space in the historic and recently renovated Hiwan Barn just off Bergen Parkway, a building that naturally lends itself to the “mountain rustic” effect the couple is aiming for.

They painted the tight, ground-level space varying colors of squash and pumpkin, then filled it with whimsical paintings and an impressive glass-paneled hutch. The setting is warm and the staff very inviting, especially since an ever-smiling Song-Mali is the one who greets diners at the door.

In the kitchen is her husband, a New York native who has put his Le Cordon Bleu degree to good use cooking all over the country, most notably at Restaurant Gary Danko and Delfina in San Francisco. Mali offers a menu that changes daily according to what’s fresh, using local ingredients when feasible. His style leans toward contemporary combinations, with ingredients and techniques that nod toward the Mediterranean.

The dishes are priced at the top end, though, and while the preparations warrant it, other components of the meal aren’t where they should be to warrant the cost. The fact is, $9 appetizers and $25 entrees bring with them certain expectations, such as spot-on service and a comfortable dining experience, and that’s where Kody stumbles.

The food, however, never failed to please, starting with a bread basket filled with house-baked slices and six properly shucked Wellfleet oysters on the half shell ($16) served with a lemon-sparked sherry mignonette. Simple and straightforward, but showcasing the best of the ingredients.

Another example of that came in the form of a grilled radicchio salad ($9), which put the charred, wonderfully bitter chicory leaves together with the pepper of arugula and the salt of grilled pancetta, a blessedly not-too-tart balsamic vinaigrette and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano tying it all together. And Gulf shrimp ($9) arrived grilled and punched up with ginger and Sauternes, a citrus tang cutting the sweetness.

The entres brought more of the same savvy matchups, such as grilled Niman Ranch beef, cut like Italian “bavette” pasta, which is to say in thin, oval ribbons, set atop a hill of horseradish mashed potatoes strewn with caramelized onions, the whole topped with a bauble of gorgonzola butter. Butter-soft maple-glazed acorn squash was the centerpiece of a rack of New Zealand lamb “persillade,” which is to say coated in breadcrumbs and parsley.

Where Kody really makes points is in the effort spent on dessert and brunch, two courses that are too often throwaways. Scharffen Berger chocolate provided the reason for a lavender-kissed tart ($9) – and if you haven’t tasted this exceptional American-made dark chocolate, find it now – and profiteroles ($8) came filled with homemade caramel ice cream and smothered in pan-roasted Granny Smiths.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s brunch fare also sings, from the French press coffee pot on each table to the addictive eggnog French toast ($8) and an inspired hash ($12) of duck confit and potatoes, topped with a poached egg and hollandaise.

Still, there are issues: The two-top tables consign all couples to logistics hell, first of all seating them either next to the chilly outer wall or just outside the kitchen, and second of all making it impossible for the diners to fit more than two plates and two glasses on the table. We spent two meals with our bread, butter and extra dishes on the windowsill, and the plates were even too big to fit without bumping each other.

Next, the servers are as friendly as can be and trying very hard, but they aren’t yet to the point of enhancing the meal. Brunch has a few kinks to work out, too, namely being ready to serve people soon after the doors open.

And, finally, the wine list is rough. It’s small, 26 bottles total, which puts a lot of pressure on those 26 to perform. Each should have some dish on the menu it would complement (and the staff should be prepared to make those suggestions). The choices here, though, aren’t up to the task, especially for a menu that changes constantly.

Restaurant Kody’s cup has the potential to runneth over. Here’s raising a glass to seeing it happen.

Kyle Wagner worked at The Denver Post from 2002-2014. She joined as the restaurant critic and food writer after nine years as restaurant critic for Westword. Her passions for mountain biking, hiking, snowboarding, skiing, river rafting, exploring the world — and anything that gets her out of the office — made transitioning into travel and fitness a perfect fit.

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